Article # 8 (due 11-16) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Article # 8 (due 11-16) - Essay Example The total cost of NovaHealth per member had reduced by 16.5 percent to 33 percent as compared to non-Aetna members. The program major achievement is cost savings resulting from decreased readmissions and emergency department usage. According to the article, such partnership will lead to savings. The money saved can be used in the improving reimbursement to primary care physicians. The article stipulates that such results can only be achieved when there is implementation of several essentials. The two organizations had to adopt electronic health record in order to facilitate data sharing and analysis. The communication and trust between the organizations is also vital for the success of the program. The health plan requires the assurance that healthcare providers are delivering the highest quality services at the lowest possible cost. On the other hand, healthcare providers require health plan willingness to share with them accurate data. According to the articles, the success of the program has motivated NovaHealth and Aetna to plan on extending the program to all NovaHealth patients and Aetna’s non-Medicare members. I feel that such partnership should be encouraged so as to improve healthcare delivery and save

Employability & Personal Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Employability & Personal Development - Essay Example The experience of attending a social gathering in London was a pleasurable and enjoyable one. The American culture and social norms are very divergent from those prevalent in the English community. The American social rules permit certain level of disorganization and less formality (Maureen & Sandra 2013). The essence of American community is embedded in the need for allowing people to express themselves and their feelings and emotions. The American culture is developed with the help of submerging different cultural and national identities and therefore, the society is exhibiting various colors of different cultures and societies. The English nation on the other hand, is famous for having its roots in formalization. The English are more than happy to uphold their family names and honors. The societal norms are designed to fulfill the abovementioned need. The historical context must be taken into account in order to understand the marked differences in both of the featured societies. The social occasions are identified as an effective and efficient measure of understanding cultural outlook of the community. I have observed while attending a party in London that youngsters were heavily guarded from socializing with strangers. The behaviors of the juniors were also strictly regulated and monitored by elders. The youngsters are also encouraged to exchange pleasantries with close family friends with passing on physical clues such as raising an eyebrow for pointing out a behavioral flaw (Jin & Li 2013). The youngsters’ conversations were interrupted by elders on more than one occasion as they were heading in the wrong direction. The humans are always noticed to seek legitimization of their actions from the society. However, in the case of English community, the need for acceptability is much higher than that in the American one (Muntaner 2013). The American parties are more rocking in style and therefore, the groupings form naturally. The participants from the same age groups hang out together. The individual behaviors are not guided intensively. The historical need and want of American society to accommodate people from number of cultures is being consistently translated in accommodative societal and normative behaviors and attitudes. The American society’s ability to produce artists and scholars is supported and enhanced by relaxed societal norms (Sousa, Martins, & Fernandesa 2013). The concept and idea of participative and open book management grew out of American culture because of its tendency to give everyone the basic and fundamental right of self-representation and freedom of speech. The English corporate culture is recognized as more rigid and due to this reason, the companies operating in the country are observed to follow a machine metaphor towards organizational existence and culture. The country is therefore, plagued with tall organizations with high formalization. The England in the view modern social scientists is b eing run in the light of old and outdated managerial concepts and therefore, its poor performance as a nation is understandable. The personal freedoms are denied in the name of culture and norms. The people are not allowed to speak their mind. They are being herded like mindless animals. The elders feel proud and take credit for training the next generation to be civilized. Nevertheless, the senior citizens are not aware of the fact that they are

American Writers Essay Example for Free

American Writers Essay Ernest Hemingway’s writing is among the most recognizable and influential prose of the twentieth century. Many critics believe his style was influenced by his days as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star, where he had to rely on short sentences and energetic English. Hemingway’s technique is uncomplicated, with plain grammar and easily accessible language. His hallmark is a clean style that eschews adjectives and uses short, rhythmic sentences that concentrate on action rather than reflection. Though his writing is often thought of as â€Å"simple,† this generalization could not be further from the truth. He was an obsessive reviser. His work is the result of a careful process of selecting only those elements essential to the story and pruning everything else away. He kept his prose direct and unadorned, employing a technique he termed the â€Å"iceberg principle. † In Death in the Afternoon he wrote, â€Å"If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of the iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. † Hemingway is also considered a master of dialogue. The conversations between his characters demonstrate not only communication but also its limits. The way Hemingway’s characters speak is sometimes more important than what they say, because what they choose to say (or leave unsaid) illuminates sources of inner conflict. Sometimes characters say only what they think another character will want to hear. In short, Hemingway captures the complexity of human interaction through subtlety and implication as well as direct discourse. The writers of Hemingway’s generation are often termed â€Å"Modernists. † Disillusioned by the large number of casualties in World War I, they turned away from the nineteenth-century, Victorian notions of morality and propriety and toward a more existential worldview. Many of the era’s most talented writers congregated in Paris. Ezra Pound, considered one of the most significant poets of the Modernist movement, promoted Hemingway’s early work, as did F.  Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote to his editor, Maxwell Perkins, on Hemingway’s behalf. The powerful impact of Hemingway’s writing on other authors continues to this day. Writers as diverse as Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, Elmore Leonard, and Hunter S. Thompson have credited him with contributing to their styles. Direct, personal writing full of rich imagery was Hemingway’s goal. Nearly fifty years after his death, his distinctive prose is still recognizable by its economy and controlled understatement. 18 †¢ THE BIG READ National Endowment for the Arts.

Effects of Organisational Structure on HRM in a Business

Effects of Organisational Structure on HRM in a Business INTRODUCTION Associations are organized in a mixture of routes, dependant on their goals and society. The structure of an association will focus the way in which it works and its execution. Structure permits the obligations regarding diverse capacities and methods to be unmistakably dispensed to distinctive offices and workers. Association Structure and Business Success.The wrong association structure will frustrate the accomplishment of the business. Authoritative structures ought to mean to boost the proficiency and accomplishment of the Organization. A compelling authoritative structure will encourage working connections between different segments of the association. It will hold request and charge whilst pushing adaptability and imagination. Part -1 As a Recent Human resource graduate ,†Luna Convenience Store† has engaged you to develop a discussion document on these two issues. Explain influence an organizational structure has on the HRM function. â€Å"Is the HRM function influenced by organizational structure or not?† One of the crucial difficulties confronting organizations of all sizes is deciding how to arrange and staff their operations. This undertaking gets to be significantly more unpredictable when an organization chooses to work together crosswise over national fringes. A little entrepreneur may begin as the main representative in his or her organization. For this situation association and staffing basically includes the productive distribution of the managers chance and regard for the different undertakings connected with the business. As the organization develops, more representatives will most likely be procured. At the point when this happens, it is helpful to unequivocally take a gander at how undertakings might be assigned crosswise over workers in a deliberate manner. As the organization develops still bigger, it is frequently valuable to start arranging the organization into offices. Much of the time, an organizations initial moves abroad include responding to an evidently irregular or unforeseen abroad business open door. From the get go, such business may be led anyplace in the association on a specially appointed premise. As an organization develops its operations abroad, it undertakes extra multifaceted nature as choices must be made which address worldwide and nearby item outline, neighborhood responsiveness to individual markets, cross-outskirt financing, and so on. Theories of organizational structure:- Weber:- Webers organization centered around making standards and regulations to disentangle complex methods in social orders and work environments. Key Points:- Max Weber was a part of the traditional point of view of administration, and his written work helped the investigative school of considered administration. He expounded on the significance of administration in the public eye. Weberian organization is described by progressive association, move made on the premise of and recorded in composed tenets, and bureaucratic authorities obliging master preparing. Professional success relies on upon specialized capabilities judged by association, not people. Webers thoughts on organization originated from society amid the Industrial Revolution. As Weber comprehended, society was being determined by the entry of reasonable plans into society which, thus, changed society into an inexorably bureaucratic substance. Qualities Of Bureaucratic Organizations : A decently characterized formal progression and levels of leadership recognizes the level of power inside an association. People who hold higher positions will oversee and immediate lower positions inside the progression. For instance, Megan the Manager oversees a group of four deals agents. Megans position inside the association as a manager provides for her power over those four deals delegates to steer and control their activities to guarantee hierarchical objectives are met. Administration by principles and regulations gives a set of standard working techniques that encourage consistency in both hierarchical and administration rehearses. Case in point, when a representative is wiped out and cant make it into work that day, he or she must shout to their immediate chief. On the off chance that one of Megans deals reps is wiped out, they are relied upon to call her straightforwardly to educate her of their unlucky deficiency. Any worker who neglects to do this will be liable to end. The greater part of Megans workers are relied upon to take after this principle, and Megan is required to authorize this guideline similarly among her representatives. Division of work and work specialization are utilized to adjust workers to their authoritative errands. Thusly, a worker will take a shot at things with which he or she has encounter and knows how to do well. For instance, how about we say two of Megans deals reps are accomplished in offering items to merchants in the western district of the state because of their far reaching knowledge working around there. Megan would then put those wo representatives accountable for that particular locale and would put the other two deals reps in the eastern area. B ) Analyse of organizational structure on HRM :- Functional : A worldwide utilitarian structure is frequently embraced by organizations with an exceptionally constrained item scope. A CEO will regulate various business works that have been distinguished as discriminating to business operations. Since the item blend is peculiar or restricted, the CEO can arrange the work of the capacities and present the assets of each as a powerful influence for the product offering. For this situation, the CEO serves as the shared element between the capacities. Likes : In numerous associations, the essential wellsprings of ability are practically based. In this manner, economies of scale might be accomplished by gathering these assets by capacity. On account of human assets, for example, a focal human assets capacity can serve as an expert to all parts of the association on issues, for example, pay and execution assessment. Dislikes: The essential concentrate on business practical movement, regularly occupies associations from particular item prerequisites, client needs, and geographic mannerisms. With the highest point of the association serving as proportional element and mediator between the capacities, methodologies may not think about substances the ground as choices are made without the profit of close connection with clients and profound understanding of nearby circumstances. Divisional : The divisional authoritative structure composes the exercises of a business around land, market, or item and administration bunches. Accordingly, an organization composed on divisional lines could have working gatherings for the United States or Europe, or for business clients, or for the green gadget product offering. Every such division contains a complete set of capacities. In this manner, the green gadget division would handle it bookkeeping exercises, deals and showcasing, designing, generation, etc. This methodology is valuable when choice making ought to be bunched at the division level to respond all the more rapidly to nearby conditions. The divisional structure is particularly valuable when an organization has numerous districts, markets, and/or items. Then again, it can result in higher aggregate expenses, and can bring about various little, quarreling fiefdoms inside an organization that dont fundamentally cooperate for the benefit of the whole element. Matrix : A grid association structure is generally characterized as one where there are different reporting lines – that is, individuals have more than one formal supervisor. This may fuse robust lines (immediate solid reporting) and dabbed lines (a weaker reporting relationship, yet showing some formal level of right to the singulars chance) or it may mean various strong lines to more than one manager. At this level, the meaning of a framework association structure is very straightforward however there are numerous distinctive sorts of complex structure. As associations developed they regularly got to be more universal, incorporated or created different item gathers. There began to be a prerequisite to organize over the gathering of organizations – for instance, to have a typical IT approach or set of HR strategies. The utilitarian heads began to have a reporting relationship to a gathering level HR or IT individual and also to their nation or area head. At first this was regularly casual at the same time, as the requirement for coordination expanded, it frequently prompt double reporting – a gathering level la Geographical :- Hierarchical structure characterizes the progression in which an association will work. There are numerous characterized sorts of authoritative structure, however a few associations may make their own, or utilize a consolidation of a few structures to effectively run business operations. Geographic hierarchical structure is utilized for associations that have business locales or specialties units in distinctive geographic areas. Capacity :- A geographic authoritative structure characterizes a reporting and useful framework crosswise over different areas. This sort of structure permits an associations work places to work separately while holding fast to organization strategies and qualities. Office areas could be nearby, national or universal. Direction :- Every geographic area is supervised and administered by one or a few executives. These executives regulate and immediate the capacities of the area and have obligation regarding the whole operation and its funds. Product Based :- Four favorable circumstances of an item based association (quickly recorded.This structure gives concentrate on individual items, which may be particularly suitable if diverse items have distinctive issues and concerns Each gathering might be run as a different benefit focus. Thusly, solid rivalry and contention can create between groups which can help inspiration and productivity It is additionally adaptable in that crudely performing gatherings could be shut down without an excess of disturbance to whatever is left of the organization. These more diminutive benefit focuses consider quick choice making and more noteworthy freedom furthermore, utilizing an item association structure is most regular in organizations, for example, retail locations. These associations will separate out their items by gathering, for example, clothing, machines, sustenance or hardware. This helps managers and directors run their operations all the more effectively (so thats presumably an alternate playing point; productivity Part 2 Analyse culture has on the HRM. â€Å"Is the HRM function Influenced by culture or not?† The target of the study is to examine and break down the impact of society on human asset administration drills. The examination is required to answer the criticalness inquiry: Are HRM practices impacted by national society or not? It is for the most part acknowledged that the acts of administration is thought to be widespread until/ternational .work is the most prevalent in cross society administration thinks about so that his skeleton in national society will be utilized as a part of this examination. Society affects on every phase of the HR cycle, from determination and recruitment, to input, assessment, drilling, and passageway meetings. While the greater part of the distinctive HR capacities are ordinary for the individuals who have existed and worked in Canada for a long time, they are still outside for newcomers. This shows the extra test of imparting the estimation of the diverse capacities, and additionally performing them. C The start of this article concentrated on determination, however comparative stories of social miscommunication might be told for each diverse part of the HR cycle. Passageway meetings with no new data in light of the fact that the representative does not need to cause the organization to lose face. An excessively complimentary assessment prompting a workers shame and withdrawal from the work group. Each of these speak to more samples of what may happen when imparting crosswise over societies. Discuss on culture organisal structure: Handy :- society, advanced by Charles Handy (1999) – and after work by Harrison (1972)– likewise introduces authoritative societies as characterized into four significant sorts: the force society, the part society, the assignment society, and the individual or help society. Convenients methodology may help you comprehend why you have been more agreeable in a few associations than others. Interestingly, albeit Handy decides to discuss society, he demonstrates the structures connected with his society sorts. This may be a direct result of the trouble of drawing something as diffuse as society, yet it additionally fortifies the way that society and structure are interrelation. Power There are a few associations where the force stays in the hands of just few individuals and just they are approved to take choices. They are the ones who appreciate exceptional benefits at the working environment. They are the most essential individuals at the working environment and are the real chiefs. These people further delegate obligations to alternate representatives. In such a society the subordinates have no choice however to strictly take after their unrivaleds directions. The workers dont have the freedom to express their perspectives or impart their thoughts on an open gathering and need to take after what their predominant says. The supervisors in such a sort of society once in a while might be inclined toward somebody or the other prompting significant agitation among others. Assignment Culture Associations where groups are framed to attain the targets or take care of basic issues take after the errand society. In such associations people with regular investment and specializations meet up to structure a group. There are by and large four to five parts in each one group. In such a society each colleague need to help just as and perform assignments in the most imaginative way. Individual Culture there are sure associations where the workers feel that they are more imperative than their association. Such associations take after a society known as individual society. In an individual society, people are more worried about their self as opposed to the association. The association in such a society takes a secondary lounge and in the end endures. Representatives simply go to the workplace for the purpose of cash and never get appended to it. They are at times dependable towards the administration and never rule for the association. One ought to never forget that association starts things out and everything else later. 4) Part society Part society is a society where each worker is appointed parts and obligations as indicated by his specialization, instructive capability and enthusiasm to concentrate the best out of him. In such a society representatives choose what best they can do and eagerly acknowledge the test. Each individual is responsible for something or the other and need to take responsibility for work allocated to him. Force accompanies obligation in such a work society. Relationship between culture and HRM function For an association to be fruitful over the long haul, its administration style needs to be outlined relying upon its society. Numerous inquires about demonstrate that human asset practices are fit in with key administration hones and have critical effect on authoritative achievement. The vitality of HR capacity is builds and perceived from multiple points of view. Top executives demeanor about the vitality of the HR capacity have a noteworthy effect on an associations primary concern (Phillips, 1996). HRM practices have a positive and noteworthy effect on hierarchical profit. Organizations have been swayed to embrace a mixture of execution improving or dynamic human asset administration practices to enhance their worldwide intensity. This study means to discover a relationship between authoritative societies and human asset administration results. On the off chance that there is a relationship, then authoritative society might be change and administered towards a coveted one. This study will be a valuable research in the Human Resource Management order and a helpful manual for experts in work life. The study will utilize overview as instrumentation. Overview will be intended to recognize the society and to get numerical responses to human asset administration measurements. RECOMMENDATION A lot of people little organizations begin with few workers and much less administrators. As the business develops, holders frequently make an authoritative structure to respond to changes, as opposed to making an insightful arrange that plans for future development. Arranging ahead is the most ideal approach to make a hierarchical structure that helps your business develop, regardless of the fact that youve as of now been doing business for some time. The most straightforward approach to start making the ideal authoritative structure for your business is to outline one as though you havent opened your entryways yet. CONCLUSION Hierarchical society incorporates the qualities, convictions, practices, standards and relics that associate the parts of an association. As in all different societies, hierarchical society creates over a long time of time with the support of the parts. Through contemplating or dissecting the society of an association, you can think of different conclusions. These incorporate decisions about the safety of society, hierarchical execution, and correspondence and administration styles. These conclusions might be useful for supervisors and advisors looking to support better authoritative societies.

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Two explosions rocked western Baghdad's al-Shu'lah neighborhood near a Shiite Muslim mosque on Sunday, killing at least 15 people and wounding at least 57, Iraqi police said. The first blast was triggered near the mosque -- and when people gathered near the scene, a suicide car bomber drove into the crowd and detonated the vehicle in the second blast, police said. Word of the blasts in the capital came just hours after news of two suicide car bombs in Tikrit, about 90 miles (150 km) north of Baghdad. The bombs exploded just 15 minutes and a short distance apart, killing at least six people and wounding 26 at an Iraqi Police Academy in Tikrit, according to an official with Tikrit's governor's office. Police were responding to the first explosion -- which happened in front of the police academy at 8 a.m. (12 a.m. EDT) -- when the second car bomb detonated close by at the meteorology building, the official said. In an earlier attack Saturday evening, seven commandos with Iraq's Interior Ministry were wounded when five mortar rounds landed inside their facility in the al-Baiya' neighborhood of southwest Baghdad, Iraq police said. The attack in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, occurred as new recruits at the academy were about to travel to the Jordanian capital of Amman for a training program, police Lt. Shalan Allawi said, The Associated Press reported. A doctor at Tikrit General Hospital said the bombs killed four policemen and two civilians, with 23 policemen and several civilians wounded, AP reported. Elsewhere, three insurgents were killed Sunday as the roadside bomb they were trying to plant in the town of Mahawil exploded, police said in the nearby city of Hillah. The explosions follow the deaths of at least 12 people Saturday in a series of attacks by insurgents. The U.S. military said Task Force Baghdad soldiers arrested eight people Saturday. They are suspected of shooting down a commercial helicopter Thursday. The military said in a release that an "Iraqi civilian helped Task Force Baghdad soldiers find" eight people, who were being questioned in the crash that resulted in the deaths of 11 people on board. Six American security contractors, two Bulgarian crew members and two Fijian security guards were killed in the crash. A Bulgarian crew member who survived the crash was shot to death, according to the Bulgarian company that owned the helicopter. The helicopter was flying from Baghdad to the northern city of Tikrit when it went down just north of the capital.

Social Exclusion and Discrimination

Do we, as citizens, have the ability to be included, to function and to participate fully in the varied aspects of today’s society? This essay will look at defining the terms described in the title by exploring research and theories that measure these problems. The essay will identify a group of people who experience one of these struggles, citing evidence to confirm this. The essay will also look at what can be done to prevent people being excluded, oppressed and co.uk/our-changing-society/">discriminated against.Sociology is the study of human social behaviour, especially the study of the backgrounds, groups, establishments, and development of human society, and some theories help to decide why and how to choose between alternative distinctions (Payne 2005). Theories are statements of ideas, and Fook (2002) states that putting names to things help provide explanations and understanding of practice. Payne (2005, p6) stated that â€Å" Because social work is a practical actio n in a complex world, a theory must offer a model of explicit guidance. † There are different sociological theories on social influences, and these are interesting in their comparisons. Emile Durkheim was a structural functionalist. He was also a positivist, believing that society conforms to unwavering laws and that there is an objective reality(Giddens 2001). He operated within a framework that sees society as a complex structure or system in which the parts work together to promote cohesion and stability (Dubois & Prade 1990). Structure in this context refers to any stable pattern of social behaviour; the function aspect is the examination of the consequences of individual actions for the operation of society as a whole. This perspective basically perceives all different parts of a society come together and work as one whole part, in which power is underplayed. This could mean that if an individual or group does not work with the rest of society then they may be excluded. Howe (2002) explains that sociology would be the backbone of the structural perspective within social work and would look at the political, economic and material environment in which people find themselves. He goes on to say that this theory encompasses an anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory perspective and that poverty, inequality and lack of social justice can seriously disadvantage some people and that these disadvantages can contribute to poor social functioning. Structural theorists maintain that these people are not a problem to society but that society has become a problem for them. However, functionalism is often criticized for not adequately explaining change, and placing too much order on order and stability. (Haralambos et al 2004) The conflict theorists view the society from an objective and hierarchical point of view. In this perspective some individuals are inferior to society. The basis of social order is power or intimidation and the only way to change within the society is through a power struggle in which there is a lot of competition. Social class is extremely important in this perspective for it defines an individual’s place in the pyramid of power. Karl Marx was the originator of the conflict theory and described societies like Britain as capitalist systems whereby rich employers and business owners with capital set up businesses which exploit working classes to generate maximum profits (Macionis & Plummer 2008). Therefore, according to this theory, the working classes could be discriminated against. Social exclusion is a multidimensional, dynamic concept which emphasises the processes of change through which individuals or groups are excluded from the mainstream of society and their life chances reduced. (Philip & Shucksmith 1999. ) There is no agreed definition of social exclusion, but there are considered to be conditions that many agree are contributing factors. Shaw et al (2006) described social exclusion as affecting individuals or areas that suffer from linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low income, poor housing, bad health, high crime and family breakdowns. So it has been found that living in a deprived area can drive a person into extreme poverty and/or social exclusion. (Haan et al. 1987, p 989). Therefore, we can conclude that social exclusion is mainly associated with the above circumstances but it is also linked to a lack of social support, social position and empowerment. White (1998) describes the processes leading to social exclusion – including economic change, demographic change, changes to welfare systems and processes of segregation and separation of certain minority groups. Social exclusion is not just about individuals, it can refer to whole communities within which everyone can be affected. For example, areas with high levels of unemployment and deprivation. Sooman & Macintyre (1995) reported that studies in Glasgow showed differences in self-reported health between local areas, with more advantaged areas showing fewer health problems. In the mid 1990’s, this country was distinguished by high levels of social exclusion, with the highest rates in Europe of jobless households and teenage pregnancies (www. socialexclusionunit. gov. uk). Many of these figures worsened during the 1990’s and crime, poverty, exclusion from school and drug/alcohol dependency became significant problems. Nowadays, the concept of social exclusion is taking over from poverty. It does not just mean poor income, it suggests something more than social inequality and so it carries the risk of a multi-tier society or the relegation to the status of the welfare dependent. Robbins, cited in Alcock, 1997). We could, of course, ask the question why is social exclusion a problem? Why should we care about someone who does not participate in key activities of the society in which he or she lives? (Burchardt et al, 2002). After all, not everybody chooses to conform to social norms. So, what if an individual has used their personal autonomy to deliberately exclude themselves from society? A recluse who prefers solitude to company, a youth who chooses to join a criminal gang rather than pursue a career, or the rich people who lock themselves away at the other end of the social scale? Do all these people constitute a social problem, and if so, is it the same kind of problem as those who are socially excluded for reasons beyond their control? (British Journal of Psychiatry 2007. 191). There is, in society, an expectation that people conform to social norms, and if someone behaves or looks differently from what is expected then they could be subject to discrimination, whether their lifestyle is their own choice or has been forced upon them. To discriminate, briefly defined, means to victimize or favour a group or individual because of social, economic, race, gender or religious reasons. The law in Britain recognises two kinds of discrimination; direct and indirect. Direct discrimination occurs when, as defined above, a group or individual is targeted for specific reasons. Indirect discrimination can happen when there are rules or regulations set in place which could exclude certain people. For instance, an employer may state that no hats or headwear are to be worn in the workplace. This could indirectly discriminate against people of certain ethnicity whose religion states that they cover their heads. Discrimination and social exclusion have certain similarities and can be compared by drawing attention to the different types of social discrimination experienced by people. Discriminatory behaviours take many forms but they all involve some sort of exclusion or rejection. These behaviours can be looked at in different ways – for example, anthropologically. Anthropology as a discipline gives powerful insight to personal views and asks the fundamental question, how and why do human beings behave the way they do (Bronowski 1952) and compares the historical development of human society. This can be used in social work by enabling workers to understand different human behaviours and why they may be a product of society. As stated above, discrimination and social exclusion can have similar aspects but a key difference between them are the consequences that can come from discrimination, such as the policies put in place to ensure fair practice for those people who could be discriminated against by illness, age or gender. The core examples of these are the Disability, Age and Sex Discrimination policies now in place. These policies ensure that, legally, people can no longer be discriminated against for having a disability, being too old or too young or because of their gender. The social composition of a population affects the ways in which social discrimination is exercised. In a society with people of multiple identities, for example ethnicity and religion, individuals or groups are likely to face discriminatory problems in multiple ways. The extent and types of discrimination will depend on peoples’ status in the population. Similarly, oppression is also multifaceted and can be caused by fear of someone different, or someone who does not conform to what is thought to be the norm in social standing. It is important to recognise the common themes across the areas of exclusion, discrimination and oppression. Thompson (2006, p40) stated that: â€Å"Oppression can be defined as inhuman or degrading treatment of individuals or groups; hardship and injustice brought about by the dominance of one group over another. There are many parallels between the experiences of people with disabilities, gender issues, homosexuals and ethnic minorities but oppression and discrimination cannot be explained merely by peoples’ personal prejudices. Oppression does not derive simply from individual actions, it can be built into structural and institutional patterns and organisational policies. (Thompson 2001) The fact that we live in a highly stratified society means that inequalities are part of the social order and there are inevitably winners and losers. (Thompson 2001) Rooney (1987) gives an example of this. He describes how a local authority used a word of mouth process to recruit home-help staff. When there were vacancies for these jobs, the existing predominantly white employees would be asked to pass on information of the vacancies to friends and/or family. This meant that knowledge of the posts would only be passed on to a predominantly white group of people, some of whom would be interviewed and consequently employed. Because of this, black and ethnic minorities were systematically excluded, even though it may have been unintentional. There are many authorities and organisations that can be seen as being guilty of this kind of institutional oppression, with the ideas of powerful groups becoming dominant over the minority as quoted by Marx in 1845 â€Å"The ideas of the ruling class are, in every age, the ruling ideas. † Whilst anyone can experience social exclusion, discrimination or oppression, it has been found that certain groups are more vulnerable to them and that they are all linked to a certain degree. It is usually a combination of factors that contribute to social exclusion, thus making it a multidimensional process and not caused by a single unique factor. Madanipour et al 1998, cited in Byrne 2005). One group in particular that experience social exclusion are people that suffer from mental illness. It could be that the majority of negative attitudes towards mental illness are simply a reflection of the lack of understanding of various mental health conditions, and this could have a bearing on any initiative to combat such prejudice in the future. Link et al (1999) reported that though there has been some improvement of general understanding, the public, largely, does wish to maintain social distance from the mentally ill. Hocking (2003) found that people with schizophrenia, specifically, were subject to discrimination in housing, education and employment. Although the public perception of mental illness has been studied vastly, there are few studies to date that concentrate on how the public perceive mental illness within the workplace. Williams and Wilkins (1998) reported that when human resources officers were given vignettes of job applications where the applicants had very similar skills and qualifications, applicants who described themselves as having depression significantly reduced their chance of employment compared to that of applicants with diabetes. Baldwin and Johnson (2004) stated that workers with mental health problems were subject to a greater discrimination and suffered a lower employability ranking than workers suffering from a physical illness. Research also acknowledges that mental illness receives a greater amount of negativity than that of a physical illness. Britt (2000) reported that among military service members there was a strong belief that admitting to psychological or mental health problems at work would make them more discriminated against than admitting to physical problems. Over half of the participants of the report believed that a military service member’s career would be negatively affected by admitting a psychological problem and just under half actually admitted that they would maintain a distance from a co-worker has he or she disclosed a psychological problem. Rush et al (2005) identified 3 known misconceptions linked to people with mental illness: i)They are homicidal maniacs that should be avoided ii) They are rebellious free spirits iii) They have childlike perceptions of the world The most measurable of these is the first one – which could explain some of the exclusion, discrimination and oppression suffered by people with mental health problems. The government has encouraged action in the employment of people with mental illness through its action plan on social exclusion (Social Exclusion Task Force 2006), but levels of unemployment are still significantly high for sufferers even though most of them want to, and are able to work. They usually end up on long term benefit and suffer social exclusion in the form of deprivation, isolation and physical, as well as mental, ill health. Social support is of crucial importance to individuals and groups with mental health problems, and, maybe if there was more trust between people, along with more community cohesion and empowerment, there might be a greater understanding of the difficulties encountered by people with mental health problems and society would discriminate less. In conclusion then, it would seem that there are many similarities between social exclusion, discrimination and oppression. All of these subjects evoke a strong, emotive response from those affected by them. In the UK alone, there are still thousands of people who are in poverty, homeless or have mental health problems and who are consequently excluded from aspects of society or discriminated against. This is despite interventions from health and social care workers from all sectors, the government and educational facilities. PCTs and providers are working hard and making significant progress in improving the accessibility and quality of primary health care in order to keep people healthier for longer and reduce health inequalities (www. wdc. org. uk). Community social work, which was used at the introduction of the welfare state, is going through a regeneration period and the introduction of Sure Start and Family Centres on what the government describes as ‘Sink Estates’ enables the socially excluded to access services and skills to enable them to feel part of society. As with all government initiatives, people regard services with suspicion but social workers are in a position to build trusting and therapeutic relationships within the community. Therefore, although progress is slow, it is not unattainable. There is now evidence, however, which demonstrates that we need to go further to improve the way we meet the primary health care needs of the most socially excluded people within our society, as socially excluded clients often do not show up on needs assessments. The ‘Inclusion Health study (www. swdc. org. uk) has also produced an excellent supporting evidence pack which commissioners can use to help build the case for improvement. There is a clear need for people who work with socially excluded people to stay within a framework of guidelines. For example, social workers need to develop an understanding of the problems that can occur within people’s lives and employ anti-oppressive practice in all aspects of care. It is possible that socially excluded groups feel disempowered and unable to do anything to help themselves and it is the duty of the social worker to hand back power to the service user whilst recognising the personal, cultural and social factors affecting the individual or family in question. There needs to be adequate assessments linked to helping people to solve problems and a sound knowledge of what can cause exclusion or discrimination by using research based evidence. Howe (1993) emphasized the importance of process in evaluation and there are several ways to implement this; for example through personal perceptions, evidence from service users, colleagues and supervisors and advice from other professionals or individuals involved. In short however, the only way to eliminate exclusion of any sort is to raise awareness in the shortfalls of society and eradicate prejudice, bigotry and ignorance.

Emerging Technologies

Emerging Technologies April 2012 Table of Contents 1. Introduction3 2. Augmented reality4 3. Google's Project Glass5 4. Conclusion6 5. References7 1. Introduction Technology is a big part of our life and something we as humans adapt to easily. We have come to accept that life lived through computer systems is natural. Gadgets and other electronic devices not only help us with our every day lives but they connect us to each other in ways we couldn't even have imagined a few years ago. Technology has become coexistent with our reality and we have created new realities inside these machines. We represent ourselves online.We create new lives that can take their own course. Online reality is becoming, more and more, our lived reality. Every new technology is bringing us closer to a life that is more and more lived digitally. Twenty years ago, none could have even dreamed of the possibilities of personal smart phones or tablet device. Our lives are constantly being changed by connection wi th newer technologies. Using new NFC-based smart phones, we will be able to pay without ever touching our wallets. There are devices that tell us what to wear or what’s the weather will be like and all we need to do is ask.With the speed of progress over the last fiver years, can we imagine how things will look like ten years from now? How is technology going to shape our reality? Will it be through more advanced forms of the digital reality we have created? How are we going to interact with our world? More and more technological companies understand that their survival in the market depends on innovation. Technological changes are coming quickly and their response to those changes must be swift. So how is the biggest search company in the world handling change?Google has proved again and again that it can enter an already overcrowded market and bring something new to it. What can this tell us about brand new technologies being developed within Google itself? Is the search gi ant ready to show us the future? What emerging technologies will impress potential customers? On January 9th 2007, Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, unveiled new mobile smart phone to the world – almost overnight it changed our view on how the mobile phone should look and behave. Its success had a major influence on many technology companies.Apple showed that product innovation really leads to market success – you can be the first to do something entirely new and dominate the market with it. This essay will look at Google’s attempt to create ‘the new smart phone’ – to impress world with its view on where the future is headed to and to use this new technology to change the marketplace and change Google. 2. Augmented reality Augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of the real-world environment, with elements augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data (Wikipedia).AR basically has the ability to add or subtract information from one's perception of reality, through use of wearable computer. Unlike virtual reality, where user is completely immersed inside a synthetic environment, AR allows the user to see and engage with the real world, with virtual objects added on top of it. AR is about supplementing reality, not replacing it. It can be used to not just add virtual objects to a user’s view but to remove them as well. There are two different design approaches to building an AR system. Optical or video technologies can be used for AR systems.Optical, or ‘see-though’ AR works by placing optical combiners before the user’s eye. These partially reflect light and project images, so the user sees combined images of the real environment and the virtual one. This technology is commonly used in military aircrafts, where combiners are attached to the pilot’s helmet. The second type is video, where users don't need to wear any monitors that project AR but where the monitors are fixed or the image is projected in front of the user. The main hardware behind AR are processors, display, ensors and input devices such as accelerometers, GPS and solid-state compasses. AR can be mixed with other senses like touch to provide tactile feedback or sound to enhance the sense of reality. Google is not the first consumer-focused company to research and develop AR. Many others are already pioneering this technology. Gaming companies like Sony and Nintendo are already using AR in their handheld devices. Playstation Vita and Nintendo 3DS already come with â€Å"AR† cards allowing gamers to play games using device cameras to focus on real-life cards.Modern mobile phones have similar uses of AR. Companies like Layar and Yelp use augment reality (with the help of GPS compasses and connection to the internet) to display information that surrounds the user and is viewable through smartphone displays. The user’s mobile phone dis plays real world images, scanned through the device's camera, with added information on its display. For example, Yelp gives information about nearby restaurants and bars, which is overplayed on top of a real-world image. The disadvantage of using AR with handheld devices are its physical constrains.Users have to hold the handheld device in front of them and its view is limited to the handheld’s display. A more promising use of AR is shown by spatial augmented reality (SAR). In 1998, Professor Ramesh Raskar developed Shader lamps, which project imagery onto neutral objects enhancing the object’s appearance using camera, projector and sensors. Raskar in his workshop showed how his device can operate within standard environment. The user is not required to wear the display over their eyes, instead a miniature projector, worn by user, projects the imagery onto flat surface in front of him.The device includes a camera that captures real world images. Sensors in the camera record users gestures and software interprets their meaning. Examples of its use include users taking real-world screenshots just by making simple gestures, camera pointing at products to scan their barcodes, software then searches for products online and shows users more information about the chosen product. Users can annotate real world objects, get real time information about people and services via an internet connection and more.At CES 2012, company Innovega introduced AR-based contact lenses with special filtering systems that allow human eyes to focus on the image projected close to the eye. Normally, the human eye cannot focus on images at this close range but with Innovega's contact lens the image becomes easier to focus on. Without these contact lenses, human eyes would have to be constantly scanned by the AR device and display would have to dynamically adjust focus, which would require additional hardware to read eye movements.What Innovega is attempting to achieve is to eliminate dynamic focus and try to replace it with a clever filtering system through the contact lens. Innovega is already working on the device that will project images on spectacles worn in front of the eye of the user, with wide field of view and very high resolution. These are just few examples of different companies trying to get the best of AR. But dynamic is still the key word to describe the level of innovation. None of these companies has yet produced a final product that would be available to masses. Nor has the best resourced of them – Google. 3. Google's Project GlassOn 4th April 2012, on Google's social network Google plus, the search engine giant showed what it thinks new smart phones should look like – called ‘Glass’ it is a small, wearable device, which uses AR as its interface with the user. The concept video on Glass shows us how Google thinks AR would work in real life (https://plus. google. com/111626127367496192147/posts) and concept p hotos show a wearable device that look identical to standard glasses. The video demonstrates how users of the device can interact with Google's already existing services like Google Maps, Google Music, Google+ Hangouts and more.Google has created a good ecosystem of apps and services and Android, the smartphone operating system developed by Google, uses most of these services successfully today. All of them are greatly integrated for a seamless experience to provide as much information to its user as is required. This environment of apps and services should be integrated into Glass as well, as Google's concept video suggests. But services and apps are only one side of the coin. Gestures and voice control plays important role in controlling this device. Glass should intelligently recognise not just voice commands, but phrases as well.Apple's personal assistant Siri is a great example of the direction Google and Glass should be headed to. But even Siri is far from perfect. It requires constant connection with its servers to interpret the voice commands, it recognises basic phrases but it doesn't follow conversation, as Apple commercials suggest, and commands spoken with heavy accents are not recognised as they should. This is of course because this technology is just evolving and anyone in contact with voice recognition software can confirm that is far from perfect.What Google demonstrates in its concept video is a device that can not only recognise phrases but recognise different meanings to voice commands and, apparently, follow conversation as well. With device like Glass, there is no keyboard attached, so sending text messages, emails, taking pictures, getting directions – all the basic functionalities of modern smartphones – need to be interpreted differently. Another interesting concept is control of the device through gestures. The concept video introduces a simple user interface.It is hidden from the user, unless he performs a gesture or th e device detects a particular head movement. In November 2001, Microsoft officially launched their gaming console Xbox and knowingly entered highly competitive market. They shifted from being solely a professional software company to the hardware and gaming market. Xbox was and today is hugely successful and shows how a technology company can focus not only on software but on hardware as well. Xbox Kinect, the gesture controller for Xbox 360 (second generation Xbox) was launched more recently and proved a huge success as well.Microsoft successfully merged a popular gaming console with effortless gesture and voice command controls. In the world of Nintendo Wii (another gesture-controlled gaming console) this was a natural step to compete in the gaming market. With project Glass, Google have to perfect gesture recognition and offer it in a much smaller device than Microsoft's Kinect. Can this be done? Or is Google creating a level of over expectation that their hardware cannot live up to? There are still major hardware and software limitations to this degree of augmented reality devices.GPS is currently accurate only within 30 feet from the device and doesn't work well indoors. The display that provides visual feedback needs to filter just enough light for the user to see the environment behind it, but enough to actually merge virtual and real environment together. The brightness difference between indoors and outdoors is still a big problem. No display made to date can handle transition from different environments as Project Glass's concept video demonstrates, and there is still issue with human eye focusing on image placed close to it. Glass is akin to a concept car, but not like those commercially ludicrous models automakers show off annually just to demonstrate how impossibly blue the sky can be. Glass would be a new prism through which we would filter every aspect of our lives — just as the smartphone went from zero to always on. ’ (John C Abe ll / Wired. com 2012) Microsoft's Xbox revenue is 14% of its whole earnings to this day and growing. If Google invests its huge resources to develop a device like Glass, can it generate similar revenue? Google started as a internet search company, and from search giant, it transformed itself into advertising provider.Using AdWords and AdSense technology, Google can target particular groups of people who are more willing to respond to an advertisement. Advertisers can submit ads and include lists of keywords relating to the product. When users search the web using keywords provided, Google displays ads as a part of the search result and advertisers pay for every time user clicks on the ad. With AdSense, web masters can integrate Google ads directly on their websites. Google would naturally want to integrate this technology to Glass as well.With wearable computers, users would expose their every day lives and provide huge amount of valuable information about themselves for advertising purposes. Google would get access to information like, where users live, which bars or restaurants they like or which products they usually buy. Glass could record all of this and more, which would, of course, represent huge privacy invasion for many of us. What about ads themselves? How would Google integrate an ad system into wearable device? AR should provide more efficient ways to stream information.No spam emails or ads flashing right in front of your eyes. No unnecessary information about companies, products and services. It should automatically get ads, as required information, when it is actually needed, and when the user requires it, for example information about nearby restaurants, bars or products that interest the user of the device. It should be there to help whenever it’s needed. With Glass Google could change its advertising strategy from gathering and offering ads to providing useful info thought AR much as Yelp provides today but on much bigger scale.Scienti sts working on Project Glass, Babak Parviz, Steve Lee and Sebastian Thurn remind us that this project is just the beginning of a long journey and many things may change in the course of its development. This device is still only an idea, and won't be ready for general release for at least two years. But even concepts can show us how companies, not only Google, can change themselves, adapt to the new technologies and how this change can benefit their future growth. 4. Conclusion It's still early to talk about success or failure of Project Glass.We do not know if Google can successfully develop a device that would meet our expectations. With AR devices like Glass, we could certainly get information about our environment more ‘naturally’ but we will have to exchange our sense of privacy for it. Google has great potential to unlock new revenue streams and, if done right, this may be next step of computing devices that could change our view of reality and maybe next game-cha nging device that will change Google as well. 5. References Spatially Augmented Reality, Ramesh Raskar, Greg Welch, Henry Fuchs (1999) * A Survey of Augmented Reality, Ronald T. Azuma, 1997 * How Google Works, Jonathan Strickland (http://computer. howstuffworks. com/internet/basics/google4. htm/printable / 2012) * Wearable Computing Will Soon Intensify The Platform  Wars, Frederic Lardinois, 2012 * Google Glasses Face Serious Hurdles, Augmented-Reality Experts Say, Roberto Baldwin, 2012 (http://www. wired. com/gadgetlab/2012/04/augmented-reality-experts-say-google-glasses-face-serious-hurdles/? tm_source=Contextly&utm_medium=RelatedLinks&utm_campaign=Previous) * Augmented Reality: Google’s Project Glass engineers, Bruce Sterling, 2012 (http://www. wired. com/beyond_the_beyond/2012/04/augmented-reality-googles-project-glass-engineers) * Augmented Reality’s Path From Science Fiction to Future Fact, John C Abell, 2012 * Project Glass (https://plus. google. com/111626127 367496192147/posts) * Augmented reality, Wikipedia (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Augmented_reality) *